VN looks to boost education ties with Switwerlannd

Vietnam and Switzerland should further their cooperation in higher
education to create more opportunities for students to study overseas, a
conference in Hanoi heard on Oct. 12.

Deputy Minister of Education and Training Tran Quang Quy said improving
higher education standards is a key national goal. However, how best to
boost standards to meet socio-economic development goals remains a
challenge, she said.

"Deeper co-operation between top-ranking
universities and colleges in Switzerland and Vietnam, especially in the
fields of banking, finance, insurance, tourism and hotels, will benefit
Vietnam's development," he said.

At the moment, 460 students are participating in five joint programmes between Swiss and Vietnamese universities.

Swiss Ambassador to Vietnam Andrej Motyl said Vietnamese students are both diligent and thirsty for knowledge.

Nguyen
Thi Thanh Minh, deputy director of the ministry's General Department
for Vietnam Education Development, said many Vietnamese students wanted
to study in Switzerland but find tuition fees and accommodation
expensive.

She said more Vietnamese students will study in Switzerland if tuition fees are reduced and accommodation grants made available.

Since
2010, 2,820 graduates have won places to study in Europe, North America
and Asia through programmes funded by the Government.

There are at the moment 364 joint programmes between Vietnam and 47 countries that have allowed 25,140 students to study abroad.

At the conference, partnership agreements were signed between Swiss and Vietnamese universities. /.